God has always been up for a road trip, even the original tabernacle came in a convenient travel size. I heard a podcast from Ransom Heart this week on being hard pressed on every side from 2 Corinthians 4. As it was for Paul think of our world today, these crazy phones!!! How many times a day am I chained to this crazy thing, email, texts, social media, phone calls, pictures, news. They tried to do a study of how many screens a day our teenagers are looking at and they could even decide how to count when a kid is looking at TV and his phone and video game all at the same time does that count as one or three.

I would challenge anyone to look around in an airport or even a restaurant, a mall, everyone is looking at their phone all the time, they explained in that same podcast that we have 250% more information coming at us minute by minute that our fathers did, and they had 250% more and their fathers had 250% more and just what do you think all that story and drama and pain is doing pressing on your soul. Yes, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— Paul’s shield of Faith was up and locked with his brothers. So how do we get there, one practical way they said in the podcast and has been so effective for me is to turn your travel into a tabernacle. As ,much as people try, you can’t drive and look at your phone, so what a great place to disconnect from the world and reconnect with God. 

You do that don’t you, I realize I am singing to the choir when my radio show is on a Christian Teaching Network and our listeners are trying to meet with God here in their car. So what I would really love is to get some practical tips from you on today’s show, PLEASE call 866-348-7884 and share how you turn you travel into a tabernacle. Prayer, songs, listening to the Bible on CD, Christian Teachers and Talk shows, worshiping to a song on your playlist over and over and over. How do you connect, come to tears, weep like the weeping prophet… I would guess more worship goes on in cars than any of us could possibly imagine, corporate worship, mom’s singing with their kids, father’s sharing Bible stories. Please, please call in today and share how you have done it, how you have seen it. Traveling Tabernacles today on the Christian Car Guy show 866-348-7884.

Now about that second line, “we are perplexed, but not in despair;” In the Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall (Free by the way on Google Books) William points out that one of the biggest goals of our adversary, Satan is to get his victims to the point of despair. Despair is a giant slap in God’s face, in anyway buying into the concept that God is not coming to the rescue. His last statements in the book he calls his, “Instar omnium”  and goes on to quote Jesus in John Chapter 6:29  “Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”  A fascinating answer, even more fascinating when you look deeply into the question.

27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Our work, very clearly is to believe, NOT DESPAIR. That word “Instar omnium” in latin and a legal term similar to the legal form of the English word “pendent” that which the whole case hangs or as William himself said it. “All you do is undone and you yourselves til this is done.” True words, if I believe Jesus has everything under control, then I can be” hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed”  This song by Mercy Me does an amazing job of saying it. When I  feel hard pressed I play it in my car over and over.